The office looked like a prison without bars—fluorescent lights humming like insects, cubicles stacked like tombstones. Kento sat at his desk, fingers tapping constantly on a keyboard that felt more like a weapon against his soul than a tool.
He scrolled through endless crime records, disguised as "research data" from the police filesystem his company integrated. That was his job: transfer criminal profiles into secure databases.
Each name on his screen had a victim behind it — a life ruined, a family destroyed. But most cases sat stamped with the same cold mark:
> STATUS: UNSOLVED
Kento stared at those words too often.
His coworker Saito, a carefree man who only cared about payday, leaned over their shared partition.
"Yaka-san, you look like someone told you weekends were canceled forever."
Kento forced a polite smile. "Just thinking."
"Don't hurt yourself doing that," Saito joked, already wandering off.
Kento sighed.
> How can anyone laugh while the city is burning?
---
Hours passed like thick mud.
By lunchtime, Kento stepped outside for fresh air — only to find the streets filled with police tape and crowds staring at a collapsed storefront across the road.
Haruto's convenience store.
Kento's heart dropped.
He pushed through the crowd until he spotted Haruto, sitting on the curb with a cracked helmet on his head — somehow eating a rice ball with great seriousness.
"Haruto! What happened?!"
Haruto raised a finger, finishing his bite before speaking — because priorities.
"Attempted robbery," he said casually. "Guy thought he could take money from a convenience store… at 9 AM… while I was on my break."
"So what did you do? Hide behind the vending machine?"
"NO! I counterattacked!" Haruto puffed his chest proudly.
"…by throwing expired pudding at him. Hard."
"Expired?"
"Yes. They make great grenades."
Kento rubbed his face, equal parts worried and amused.
Haruto leaned in, suddenly serious.
"Kento… criminals don't fear the law anymore. They just fear capture, not consequences."
Their eyes locked — the truth heavy between them.
Before Kento could answer, a familiar voice rang out:
"HARU-ONII! Stop boasting! You cried after throwing that pudding!"
Both men turned.
Hamari.
She stood there with her hands on her hips, backpack still on, freshly out of school. She marched toward them like a detective approaching suspects.
"Mom told me there was trouble here. Are you hurt?" she asked Haruto, checking him with a doctor-level glare.
"I'm emotionally wounded," Haruto sniffed.
"You're emotionally dramatic," Hamari corrected, rolling her eyes.
She turned to Kento, concern washing over her face.
"You too, Kento-nii… please be careful. This place feels scary even during daytime."
Kento knelt to her level, giving the soft smile he never showed anyone else.
"I will. And thank you for worrying."
Hamari brightened, cheeks turning slightly pink.
Haruto coughed loudly, "Ahem! Kids shouldn't fall for boring office guys!"
Hamari glared at him.
"I don't fall for anyone. Except maybe fried chicken."
Haruto gasped. "Same!"
The three laughed, even if the situation around them wasn't funny.
---
Later that evening, Kento walked Hamari home since her mother had to work late again. The sun dipped below the neon skyline, city lights flickering awake like watchful eyes. Hamari walked beside him, swinging her bag with each step.
"Kento-nii," she said suddenly, "did you really once want to be a police officer?"
He blinked, surprised. "Who told you that?"
"I found your old action figure collection when I broke into your closet! Accidentally. Maybe."
Kento sighed. Privacy was a myth around her.
"Yes. When I was your age, I wanted to protect people. Like heroes do."
Hamari's smile softened.
"But you still do! You help people behind computers, right? Mom says information keeps the world together."
Kento hesitated.
> What I do now… isn't enough.
Not when victims are left with nothing but apologies and reports.
Hamari seemed to notice his silent conflict. She bumped his arm gently, like a kitten nudging someone awake.
"Even if you're not a police officer… to me, you're already a hero."
Kento's heart tightened.
He wasn't a father — but if he ever imagined having a child, she would look exactly like Hamari. Same stubbornness. Same warmth.
He ruffled her hair.
"Thanks, Hamari."
She giggled. "Also! I bought vegetables! You WILL eat healthy tonight or else!"
He raised an eyebrow. "Vegetables?"
Hamari triumphantly pulled a dangling carrot from her bag like she had won a war.
"Yes! Proper nutrition! Justice for your stomach!"
Kento burst into genuine laughter.
For a moment… the world felt peaceful.
---
Back home, Haruto joined them for dinner — mostly because he smelled food and invited himself.
They ate together, joking, teasing Haruto about his "heroic pudding throw." Hamari laughed so much she almost choked and then blamed Haruto for "comedy-induced suffocation."
Kento watched them both…
Sunshine and laughter — the kind he thought he'd never feel again.
Maybe hope wasn't dead yet.
---
When Hamari left for her apartment, she stood at her door and waved.
"Good night, Kento-nii! And remember — vegetables or I will haunt you!"
He chuckled. "Good night, Hamari."
The hallway felt colder when she closed her door.
Kento entered his apartment, turning on the dim light.
Everything was quiet.
Too quiet.
He sat at his desk, powering up his laptop.
Screens flooded with criminal profiles — names scrolling endlessly.
> SUSPECTS RELEASED
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
CASE CLOSED WITHOUT ARREST
The justice system was failing.
He thought of Haruto's frightened bravery.
He thought of Hamari's warning.
He thought of the sirens he always heard — but never saw justice follow.
Kento's hand trembled as he gripped his mouse.
Then… he whispered:
"Light, guide me…
If no one punishes them…
Then I will."
His eyes hardened — not anger, but conviction.
The innocent deserved safety.
Hamari deserved a world where she could laugh without fear.
His phone buzzed suddenly.
A news alert:
> "LOCAL TEEN GIRL MISSING — LAST SEEN NEAR SAKURA STREET"
Kento's blood turned to ice.
Hamari's school was near Sakura Street.
He stared at the screen, heart pounding.
> Please don't let it be her…
A cold wind blew through the open window.
The world outside felt darker than ever.
Kento clenched his fists.
Justice would no longer wait.